Vehicle radiator core assembly



y 1969 R. F. POEHLMAN 3,446,276

VEHICLE RADIATOR CORE ASSEMBLY Filed July 7, 1967 United States Patent 3,446,276 VEHICLE RADIATOR CORE ASSEMBLY Robert F. Poehlman, South Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Modine Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 7, 1967, Ser. No. 651,817 Int. Cl. F28f 19/00, 13/12 U.S. Cl. 165119 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The radiator cores which usually include spaced liquid coolant tubes and interconnecting spaced fins for air cooling the liquid in the tubes are used in heavy duty earth moving equipment and similar equipment employing internal combustion engines and these cores are cooled by rotating fans blowing air through the core customarily from the inner side of the core. When the equipment is used in moving earth, stones and other solid particles are often dropped into the area between the cooling fan and the core and the fan projects these solid materials against the core at great force so that they abrade and wear away the core including tubes, tins and other elements. The protector of this invention provides intercepting protection for these radiator cores so that the force of the projected solids is taken up primarily by the protector before the solids reach the core.

One embodiment of the protector of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the front of a tractor type vehicle utilizing a radiator protector embodying the invention and with portions of the figure broken away for clarity of illustration.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view showing a part of the radiator, the protector of this invention and the cooling air fan of the embodiment of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view illustrating the relationship of the radiator core and the protector of this invention.

As shown in the drawings the tractor employs the usual cooling radiator 11 having a core 12 and a rotatable cooling fan 13 located behind the radiator 12 to push cooling air therethrough from back to front. The front of the tractor 10 is provided with the usual air permeable front panel 14.

Because of the inclination of the blades 21 the cooling air is projected toward the radiator core 12 at an angle as indicated by the arrows 15 in FIGURE 2. Any foreign objects such as sand, dirt and the like dropped into the space between the radiator 11 and the fan 13 are projected 3,446,276 Patented May 27, 1969 ICC toward the core 12 at the same general angle where, unless intercepted, they could readily damage the vertical tubes 16 and fins 17 of the core.

In order to prevent this damage there is provided between the fan 13 and core 12 a protector 18 comprising a spiral flat metal strip 19 spiraling outwardly from a center as shown in FIGURE 3 with the space between the spaced coils of the spiral provided with a corrugated air pervious filler member 20.

In the illustrated embodiment the corrugated filler member 20 comprises a metal strip also arranged edgewise to the fan 13 and the core 12 with both the tiller strip as well as the spiral strip 19 being thereby arranged at an angle to the direction of projection of the air stream 15 and thus of the fan projected solids. In the illustrated embodiment both the spiral strip 19 and the filler strip 20 are at right angles to the front surface of the core 12 and to the plane of rotation of the fan 13.

As illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 2, the circular protector 18 has a diameter slightly greater than that of the plane of rotation of the fan blades 21. Thus the generally square or rectangular core 12 will have side and particularly edge portions projecting beyond the plane of rotation of the fan blades. This provides a structure in which the only area covered by the protector 18 is that necessary to intercept fan propelled solids and does not extend over the full face of the core 12.

In one embodiment the circular spiral protector 18 was about 23% inches in diameter, the width of the spiral strip 19 and thus the thickness of the protector 18 was about /2 inch and the spacing between adjacent coils in the spiral strip 19 was about /2 inch.

In order to retain the protector 18 in position between the core 12 and the fan 13 the protector is mounted on four equally spaced brackets 22 which are mounted on a side frame 23 of the radiator 11 by means of bolts 24.

As can be seen from the above description the radiator protector of this invention is relatively light in weight because it is constructed primarily of strips of metal in its preferred construction and is only as large as required to intercept fan projected particles so that a large portion of the radiator core is not covered by the protector. Although the metal strips 19 and 20 in the preferred construction are arranged edgewise to the core and the plane of rotation of the fan they are in particle intercepting position because the air and particles projected from the fan are projected at an angle as indicated at 15 in FIGURE 2.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accomypanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A vehicle radiator core assembly, comprising: a plurality of spaced coolant tubes subjected when in use to a cooling air stream that carries entrained solid particles, the air stream flowing through said core from an upstream side of the core to a downstream side; and a core protector mounted at said core on the upstream side thereof for intercepting said solid particles comprising a spiral strip defining spaced coils combined with a flat filler member of sinuous form within said coil in a plane substantially at an angle to the direction of air flow, said filler member being disposed edgewise to said fan and radiator and angled to the direction of air flow to intercept solids.

2. The protector of claim 1 wherein said filler metal strip is arranged in undulations between adjacent coils extending from one said coil to the next.

3. The protector of claim 2 wherein said coil metal strip and said filler metal strip are angled to the direction of projection of said solids.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner. T. W. STREULE, Assistant Examiner. 

